Anyone who has ever headed to the mountains in winter knows that a cheap ski holiday is a contradiction in terms. When the basic hotel cost - as well as all the mandatory extras such as equipment rental and lift pass - are taken into consideration, the price you pay for snow fun is a hefty one.

But if personal privacy is a dispensable commodity, then the swanky hostel is the new budget option in alpine accommodation.

Austria

Gasthof Schöneck, Hopfgarten

The low-key village of Hopfgarten has a long-established Antipodean following, which is probably why Contiki, the dedicated tour operator for 18-35s, virtually claims as its own this small resort in the 93-lift SkiWelt circuit.

The accommodation at Gasthof Schöneck is more exalted than a simple hostel, with two to four people sharing a room with bathroom. People travelling on their own are more than welcome and can share one of the same-sex rooms. Travel is by coach between London and Hopfgarten, and facilities at the Gasthof include internet access, as well as a sauna and a popular après-ski bar.

Where to book: Contiki (020-8290 6422, contiki.com). One week's B&B from £229pp sharing a triple or quad room, including coach travel.

France

Auberge de Jeunesse, Chamonix

This friendly hostel is on the outskirts of Chamonix and five minutes by ski bus from the town centre. It sleeps 120 in 35 rooms with from two to six beds. The building also has two dining rooms, a bar, TV room, ski room, billiards and giant chess board. The restaurant serves wholesome local dishes such as fondue, tartiflette and pierrade, and all residents are expected to help out around the house. Various packages are available through the hostel, including lift passes, ski guides, and equipment hire.

The Trois Vallées boasts 200 lifts and 600km of trails, and some of the most expensive accommodation in the Alps. La Tania is a modern but pleasant village offering a good alternative base for the price-conscious, unlike its expensive neighbours, Courchevel and Méribel.

In among the Scandinavian-style chalets at La Tania are two new wooden chalets for backpackers that sleep 36 and 33, respectively, in attractive pine-clad two- to four-bedded rooms. Nine of the 13 rooms have en suite shower rooms, and the accommodation is ski-in, ski-out.

The difference between these and standard tour operator-run chalets is their flexibility: you can arrive and depart on any day of the week and decide on the day whether you want to eat in or out in the evening.

TMC runs a similar operation in Les Gets in the Portes du Soleil, but in this case the property is a converted hotel opposite the lifts and a five-minute walk from the resort centre. The accommodation sleeps 45 with all en-suite shower rooms.

Where to book: The Mountain Centre (01273 897525, themountaincentre.com). From £19pp per night B&B, including linen. Evening meal £8 per night including wine.

North America

The Bunkhouse, Jackson Hole, Wyoming

Jackson Hole has one of the longest vertical drops in the US, and the skiing takes place on two adjoining mountains. Of these, Rendezvous Mountain is considered to be one of the last wild frontiers of macho mountainside.

However, it can be difficult to find low-priced accommodation at this exclusive destination. One exception is the Bunkhouse, which is cheap, clean, and only one block from the main square in the cowboy town of Jackson. The building is smoke- and alcohol-free, with a large communal area, and contains a bunk room sleeping 25, with individual lockers. You cannot book in advance, and beds are offered on a first-come, first-served basis. The hostel has a kitchen for preparing your own food, and the owners also run an Italian restaurant in town called Nani's Pasta House.

Where to book: The Bunkhouse (001 307 733 3668, anvilmotel.com). From £14pp per night in a dormitory, including linen but not food.

Shoestring Lodge, Whistler, BC

As well as having fine skiing for all standards, Whistler has a great atmosphere and is home to some vibrant après-ski, including the Longhorn Saloon at the foot of the slopes, Tommy Africa's and the Savage Beagle nightclubs, and Maxx Fish disco - the in-place for snowboarders.

The Shoestring Lodge is one of the most affordable places to stay, with a choice of private and dormitory rooms all with television and private baths. A shuttle bus takes you from here to the slopes. Cooking facilities are available as well as an in-house restaurant. Also attached to the hostel is the Boot Pub, which includes Boot Ballet performances several times a week - for ballet read "strip show".

Where to book: Shoestring Lodge (001 604 932 3338, shoestringlodge.com). From £12pp per night in a dorm room, including linen but not food.

St Moritz Lodge, Aspen, Colorado

Ritzy Aspen is known for some of the highest hotel prices of any resort in North America. The lodge, situated six blocks from the main gondola up Aspen Mountain, is a low-cost alternative. Besides its regular hotel bedrooms, the St Moritz has 13 dorm-style rooms. Each has three beds, a small fridge, and a telephone offering complimentary local and toll-free calls. Residents can use the lodge's steam room, hot tub, and the swimming pool.

A world away from the town's expensive chalets and hotels is the Bunker, which must be one of the safest places on earth to stay in. This is a Cold War atomic shelter that was transformed into a backpackers' hostel in 1999. It has 120 beds divided between four large dormitories, and to make up for the lack of daylight, the walls are garishly decorated with graffiti.

The Bunker is part of the Verbier Sports Centre, which offers swimming pools, whirlpools, ice-skating rink, skate park and internet access. A cool bar, the Verbier Beach Café restaurant, is next door. Bring your own sleeping bag.

Where to book: The Bunker (0041 771 66 02 03, thebunker.ch). £11pp per night B&B, including entrance to sports centre. £1.30pp per night extra at weekends, £6.50pp per night extra half board, £4.35pp per day for packed lunch.

The Hiking Sheep, Leysin

The town of Leysin is a mixture of modern hotels and old chalets, and is a well-known destination for good value holidays. The resort has a handful of bars and nightclubs, including the Top Pub.

The Hiking Sheep is a carefully renovated art-deco building set on the edge of a pine forest, 50m from the ski area with its 60km of piste and 16 lifts. Two large balconies offer panoramic views of the Mont Blanc massif. The hostel sleeps 37 in better than usual dormitories with wooden bunk beds and duvets. There is a log fire, TV/games room, laundrette, cybercafe, and a meditation room. The Hiking Sheep was named Best Hostel for both 1998 and 1999 by Let's Go Europe Travel.

Flims and Laax share a ski area with 220km of piste in the Graubunden region. Of the two, Laax has the cheapest accommodation and the younger clientele, which might explain the extraordinary Riders Palace - the world's first high-tech Sony-sponsored hotel for snowboarders. It has 312 beds in 70 rooms and four price scales, from backpacker kitsch to boutique bedrooms with Philippe Starck-designed chrome bathrooms.

The Back to Basic rooms each contain five to seven beds. Internet access is available, but the star attraction is the basement Palace Club, which is the vibrant alpine home of the Ministry of Sound. Night owls only need apply.

Where to book: The Riders Palace (0041 81 927 9700, riderspalace.ch). £50pp per night B&B sharing a Back to Basic room, including a lift pass.

Snowboardhotel Bolgenschanze, Davos

Davos may be the Edwardian birthplace of downhill skiing, but more recently it has embraced snowboarding. The Jakobshorn, which is one of the resort's four separate ski areas, is now almost entirely dedicated to snowboarding, with plenty of trees for shelter, a boardercross circuit, and 24-hour floodlit slopes for night-riding.

The Bolgenschanze is a snowboarders-only hotel in the middle of the Jakobshorn, sleeping 74 in bunk-bedded rooms for between two and five people. The hotel's large bar hosts live bands and wild parties at weekends.